


A Chance Encounter

by mysticalforces



Category: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-25
Updated: 2013-11-27
Packaged: 2017-12-30 09:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1017209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysticalforces/pseuds/mysticalforces
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if on that fateful day at the boiling sea, The Red Queen took away all of Alice's memories and literally tore her away from Cyrus and sent her out of Wonderland? After months of being in captivity, Cyrus finally escapes and goes on a quest to find Alice. When Cyrus finally does find Alice, will it be the same Alice he fell in love with? And will he be able to bring her back?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nothing left to live for

_I can't do this anymore._  
  
 _Every day I face is filled with nothing but fear and self-loathing._  
  
 _There is only one escape for me. One way to make them realize how much I hate this life._  
  
 _If I do this, they won't laugh at me any more._  
  
 _I tell them I'm miserable, that he scares me, that I want to break away. But they can only see the mansion, the fancy cars, the endless trips to glamorous hot spots._  
  
 _They don't see the bruises, neither the ones on the outside nor the ones on the inside. They don't know what happens when I ask for a little money to buy something for myself._  
  
 _I have to account for every penny I hold in my hand. He has me under his thumb. I'm weak and clueless about the world. I'm sheltered under a wing that is feathered with cruel barbs and hard fists. And the only way to fly from under it is to fall first._  
  
 _I'm just not strong enough alone._  
  
 _Now there is nothing to live for._

 

With her mind made up, a cold figure wearing nothing but a long white terry robe stepped up onto the eight inch wide ledge running around the rooftop of the fancy apartment building.  
  
For just a moment she stared at the skyline, almost in awe of the sight from this height, with the view unblocked for the most part by taller buildings. There wasn't any smog that night so the sky was clear and she could see the moon hanging low in the sky, could even see the brightest stars twinkling faintly against their backdrop of black velvet.  
  
She didn't hear the door to the roof open and close again. She didn't see the man lean back against the door and breathe hard, like he'd just run a marathon. She didn't notice when he realized he wasn't alone on the roof.  
  
In fact, she didn't notice him until he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down. She kicked and screamed until she realized it wasn't him. He hadn't found her. She almost cried with relief. And then she got angry.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed as she pulled away from the unfamiliar man, literally throwing herself back towards the edge of the roof. This time he caught her by the arm.  
  
"Do you know how far it is to the ground, miss? How many stories up we are?" he asked when she turned back to face him.  
  
"I know exactly how many stories up we are. Seventy five stories to the ground. Seventy seven if you count the two levels below the street," she said darkly.  
  
The man released her arm.  
  
"You're not drunk," he stated slowly.  
  
Alice turned around to face him. She finally got a good look at him and it almost took her breath away. He was without a doubt the most handsome man she'd ever laid eyes on before in her entire life.  
  
"I'm not high." Alice replied. "If that's what you're thinking. Not on drugs anyway. That's one escape I've never even considered. Not that I could afford them anyway," she muttered, turning back to the skyline, her arms wrapped around herself.  
  
She would have to wait until he was gone. She didn't want an audience.  
  
The man looked her over in obvious concern. As he took in her words, he realized them to be true. She didn't appear to be drunk and she definitely didn't appear to be high either.  
  
"Look, miss, it's two in the morning and you're standing on the roof of an apartment building in your pajamas, doing a balancing act on that incredibly narrow ledge. I just naturally assumed you were under the influence of something. Either that or you were planning on jumping," he said, the laugh behind his words saying that he didn't even consider that as an option.  
  
Alice didn't reply though. She just stood silent.  
  
When she hunched her shoulders and hugged herself even tighter, he sobered. "You were going to jump?" he asked, his voice a disbelieving whisper.  
  
"Correction, am going to jump." She replied, forcing her tone to sound firm and hard. She meant that, she did. So then why was she all of the sudden having doubts?  
  
He studied her, his heart breaking a little at just how desperate she seemed to be. Maybe someone else might leave her to do what she would but that someone wasn't going to be him. He could see it in her eyes, he could see that she didn't really want this.  
  
"What's your name?" He gently asked.  
  
"What?" Her tone was filled with confusion. Why would this man possibly want her name and then it dawned on her. She spun around sharply and her features were wild with panic. "You're not taking me back!"  
  
The man's eyes went wide at how upset he seemed to have made her. "Back, where?" He softly asked.  
  
"I won't go back!" She continued on, panic completely taking over her mind. "Even if you do manage to take me back there, I'll just find another way out! If it's not this roof, than it'll be some cliff or…a rope or…I'll get creative!"  
  
He looked at her in shock. "Where are you so scared that I'm going to send you that is worse than jumping off of that roof?"  
  
Alice tried blinking back tears that were already beginning to fall. "It doesn't matter. Look, you seem like a really nice man…"  
  
"My name's Cyrus." He gently gave. Maybe if he offered her his name first, she'd eventually share hers. "You're obviously running from something," He looked her over and added. "Or someone. I want to help you."  
  
"Cyrus, you can't help me." Alice firmly replied. "No one can help me. And you don't wanna hear my sob story, trust me. Just go back to your life and let me escape from mine."  
  
"Nothing in your life can be so bad that it can't be resolved, healed or comforted." Cyrus gently touched her arm. "I can't let you do this." He said firmly.  
  
Alice shivered. No one had touched her this gently in years. "There's no where else for me to go. I have no friends. Only him." She replied bitterly.  
  
"Family?" He asked softly.  
  
"Only him." She repeated, a trace of annoyance in her tone. "My husband."  
  
"Oh." He said softly. "Why are you wanting to do this when you have someone that loves you?"  
  
Alice snorted. "He doesn't love me! He just likes to dress me up and show me off to his friends at parties and charities to make himself look good. I don't think he's ever even seen me."  
  
"Well, tell me who I can take you to or have you call that does see you. Someone that you will believe when you're told it will all be better with time." Cyrus gently asked.  
  
Alice glared at him. "Haven't you been bloody listening to me?! There is no one, Cyrus! Ok? No family, no friends! He doesn't even let me out of his sight long enough to make any." She sadness in his eyes and sighed. "It's too late for me, ok?"  
  
Cyrus shook his head firmly. "No, it's not. It's never too late for anybody. This doesn't have to be your fate. Just come with me and…"  
  
"No!" Alice yelled, panic started to overtake her once more. "I mean what I said, I won't go back there!"  
  
"Listen, I'm not going to-" Cyrus tried to reach out to calm her and he was shoved by her.  
  
"No!" Alice cried, getting desperate. "Leave me alone!"  
  
"It's always something with women.." Cyrus muttered before quickly reached out and tossing her over his shoulder.  
  
"What are you doing?!" She shrieked. "Let me go!"  
  
"Not a chance." Cyrus replied firmly. "I'm going to make you see the value of your life whether you appreciate it or not!"  
  
"No! Damn it, Cyrus put me down!" Alice yelled as she kicked against him and was carried inside the building.


	2. Trust Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cyrus tries to get Alice to trust him.

"Here you go." Cyrus handed Alice a cup of tea.  
  
"Thanks." Alice mumbled, looking anywhere but at him. She honestly felt very embarrassed for her earlier outbursts.  
  
Cyrus took a seat next to her on his sofa. He sat patiently and watched her.  
  
Alice set the cup down, her hands shaking. He may not have done it yet but she was still positive he was gonna wind up taking her back to him. It was what others had always done before.  
  
"I'm sorry." She finally said after a few moments.  
  
"For what?" Cyrus asked in confusion.  
  
Alice finally looked over at him. "My outburst before, kicking you. I honestly thought you were going to take me back and I panicked. I'm not sure that you won't."  
  
"I'm not going to take you anywhere that you don't want to go." Cyrus replied gently. "Especially not somewhere that makes you so emphatic about taking your own life."  
  
"Thank you." Alice sincerely said.  
  
"You're welcome." Cyrus gently smiled at her. "So, I really don't wanna keep calling you 'miss'. Do you think you could tell me your name now?"  
  
Alice sighed. That was the least she could do after all the trouble she caused him. "Alice." She replied softly. "My name is Alice."  
  
"Alice." Cyrus softly said. "Do you wanna tell me why I found you on that roof?"  
  
"No, not really." Alice honestly replied.  
  
"Well, why don't you tell me what it is you do want?" Cyrus gently countered.  
  
Alice looked at him taken aback by the question. It had been a long time since anyone had asked her what she wanted.  
  
"To be free." She replied without hesitation.  
  
Cyrus looked at her sadly. Feeling trapped was something he'd known a great deal about at one time and he hated that someone like her had gone through that as well. "Alice, you don't have to die to be free."  
  
"You don't get it." Alice whimpered. "He is never going to let me go."  
  
Cyrus was about to question her more about that husband of hers when he heard a knock at his door.  
  
"Oh God!" Alice's eyes were wide with freight. "He's here. He's found me."  
  
"Alice, he doesn't know you're here." Cyrus gently reminded her.  
  
"You don't know him. He's probably sent someone looking for me!" Tears were in Alice's eyes. "He doesn't like it much when his things disappear." She added bitterly.  
  
Cyrus felt his heart go out to her. "Oh, Alice.."  
  
Another round of knocking resumed, sharper.  
  
"Cyrus…" Alice whispered fearfully.  
  
"Come with me." Cyrus reached out for her hand.  
  
Alice pulled her hand away, looking up at him unsure. "Cyrus?"  
  
"Alice, do you think you could trust me?" Cyrus gently but urgently asked her.  
  
The knocking got louder and it forced Alice to make a decision.  
  
"Yes." Alice quickly replied. There was no doubt in her mind that she was a hell of a lot safer with Cyrus than with her husband.  
  
Cyrus gave her a smile and grabbed her hand. "Come with me then."  
  
Alice followed Cyrus as he lead her into his room.  
  
He sat her down and knelt in front of her. "I want you to stay here while I deal with whoever is at the door, ok?"  
  
"What are you going to do?" Alice asked worriedly.  
  
"I'm going to get rid of them and then we'll figure out our next step, alright?" Cyrus was looking at her intensely. He really needed her to trust him if there was any hope of him helping her.  
  
Alice nodded and couldn't help the hopefulness she'd felt inside of her when he'd used the term 'we'.  
  
Cyrus casted her another reassuring look before quickly moving to leave but stopped when he felt her tightly grab his hand. "Alice?"  
  
Alice breathed shakily. "Cyrus, I'm scared."  
  
Cyrus felt his heart clench at that. He didn't know her whole story yet nor did he need to for him to tell that she was scared to death of her husband.  
  
"I know." He whispered, he reached a hand out to gently touch her face. "This may not mean much or anything but I promise you everything is going to be alright."  
  
"I think that's the first time I've ever actually held hope that it could be." Alice whispered back through her tears.  
  
"I'll be back." Cyrus gently said.  
  
Cyrus walked out the door and shut it firmly behind him.  
  
He went over to his door that was being knocked on so insistently and opened it.  
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
"Been knocking for quite a while, you know that?" The man glared at him.  
  
Cyrus felt the need to snap back at him but chose not to. He didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention into his home. "Well it is early. I was still sleeping. What can I do for you?"  
  
"I'm looking for this woman," He held up a photo of Alice. "you seen her?"  
  
Cyrus shook his head. "No, can't say that I have."  
  
"Oh really? Because the neighbors tell a different story. A few of them claim they heard screaming and that she was with you." He glared at Cyrus.  
  
"Is that so?" Cyrus countered. "Well I really wouldn't listen to gossip if I were you. I haven't seen that woman before in my life."  
  
"What the hell have you done with my wife?!" The guy bellowed, trying to shove his way in only to be shoved back with great force by Cyrus.  
  
"You need to calm down." Cyrus advised sharply. "I've already told you. Your wife isn't here and where ever she happens to be, I'm pretty certain she's old enough to make her own decisions."  
  
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" He snapped. "My wife isn't well, hasn't been for quite some time. I have legal documents of that and it is well in my right to have her committed for reevaluation. For her own good of course."  
  
Cyrus breathed sharply. "Well that changes things a bit."  
  
The guy looked at him in confusion. "Excuse me?"  
  
"Like I said, always something with women." Cyrus muttered before punching the guy in face, knocking him out cold.  
  
Cyrus quickly shut and locked the door. He didn't have much time.  
  
Cyrus ran back into his room where he was hiding Alice. He shut and locked that door and barricaded it with his dresser.  
  
"Cyrus, what's going on?" Alice asked fearfully.  
  
"I knocked your husband out," Cyrus told her urgently. "but that's not gonna hold him for long Alice. He has legal documents and he claims he could have you committed." At her scared look, he sighed. "It's true, isn't it?"  
  
Alice nodded tearfully. "Yes. Look, I appreciate you trying to help me but I get that this changes things. I'll just be on my way.."  
  
"No!" Cyrus quickly but gently grabbed her arm. "I mean it does change things but it doesn't change my wanting to help you. It just means I'm gonna have to do something that I wasn't quite planning on doing this soon."  
  
"What do you mean?" Alice asked confused.  
  
Cyrus quickly grabbed the wooden chest and opened it.  
  
"Cyrus, what's going on?" Alice repeated.  
  
Cyrus turned to her. "Alice, do you think you can continue to trust me?"  
  
Alice silently nodded. She did still trust him when compared to her husband and even when compared to anyone else for that matter.  
  
Cyrus gently smiled. "Ok, good. I wasn't planning on doing this yet, I wanted to gain your complete trust first but there just isn't any time." At her confused look, he continued on. "Do you still want to be free?"  
  
Alice quickly nodded her head. "More than anything."  
  
Cyrus nodded before turning back to the wooden chest and grabbing something out of it.  
  
"What is that?" Alice asked curiously.  
  
Cyrus took a deep breath. He was pretty sure there was no way she was gonna believe this but he knew it wouldn't be long before she did. After all, seeing was believing.  
  
"It's a magic bean." Cyrus replied.  
  
Alice looked at him wide eyed. "Wh…wh..what?!" She spluttered.  
  
"I'm gonna throw it and it's gonna open a portal." Cyrus continued.  
  
"A portal?!" Alice shrieked. "Oh you have got to be kidding me!"  
  
Cyrus sighed. He was afraid she would react like this. "Alice, I know that sounds unbelievable and scary but you need to trust me. It's far better than staying here and under the control of a person like that."  
  
"Oh, no no no no!" Alice shook her head. "You're crazy!"  
  
Cyrus looked back at the door he was sure was gonna be broken down if he didn't act quickly.  
  
He turned back around, the bean in his hand and quickly threw it.  
  
Alice's eyes went wide as she saw the green vortex opening up right in front of her eyes.  
  
"Oh no! This isn't bloody happening!" Alice shouted. She'd had years and years of therapy that convinced her of that when she'd traveled to Wonderland as child, when she'd claimed to, that it wasn't real.  
  
"Alice, we have to go!" Cyrus shouted to her urgently. "Give me your hand!"  
  
"No!" Alice shouted. "I can't!"  
  
Cyrus sighed frustrated. "Alice, I thought you were going to try to continue trusting me!"  
  
"You don't understand!" Alice yelled. "I can't go back to Wonderland! I didn't leave that bloody place on the best of terms!"  
  
Cyrus looked at her stunned. "How do you know about Wonderland?"  
  
"That's…" Alice looked at him confused. "That's not where you're taking me?"  
  
Cyrus quickly shook his head. "Of course not! That's not a place I can return to as well! Alice, please take my hand! I promise not to let anything happen to you, just please trust me!"  
  
Alice took a deep breath before finally placing her hand in Cyrus's and two jumped into the green vortex, it devouring them both in it's hands.


	3. A Safe Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice starts to remember.

Alice woke up and looked around, her eyes darting back and forth. "Cyrus!" Her tone was one of panic.  
  
"It's alright, Alice." Cyrus gently touched her arm. "I'm right here."  
  
She knew it was extremely odd that his touch, the touch of a stranger brought her such comfort but it did. She was scared, she didn't know where she was but she still felt safe with him.  
  
"Cyrus, where are we?" Alice whispered.  
  
"Maybe we should just call it a safe place and leave it at that." Cyrus gently suggested. He remembered how she reacted when he opened that portal. He was honestly afraid of scaring her, he wanted her to feel safe with him.  
  
Alice glared at him. "Maybe _you_ should just answer my question." She countered back.  
  
Cyrus sighed. "Alice, I know you want answers. But tell me this, are you ready for the answers you seek to change your life?"  
  
"Stop with the riddles and tell me where the bloody hell I am!" Alice snapped. He was beginning to remind her of the white rabbit and all those other creatures she'd met in Wonder… "Oh no."  
  
Cyrus frowned and looked at her with concern. She looked pale as a sheet. "Alice, what's the matter?"  
  
Alice looked up at him, she was slightly shaking. "Please, please tell me we are not in Wonderland…"  
  
Cyrus chuckled. "Alice, I told you remember? I cannot return to Wonderland either."  
  
Alice breathed relieved. "Then," She took a look around her, noticing they were in the grass and it was outside. "where are we?"  
  
Cyrus sobered. "We are not in New York."  
  
"Cyrus." Alice warned. "I don't need to be protected. I most certainly do not need control from yet another man."  
  
Cyrus frowned hurt. "Is that what you think I'm doing? Do you honestly believe that I used my last means of escape just so I could own you instead of him?"  
  
"Last means of escape?" Confusion filled Alice's features. "Are you saying that was the only…?"

"Magic bean I owned?" Cyrus interrupted softly. "Yes, that is exactly what I am telling you. I can see very clearly that you don't trust well, if at all but contrary to what you may believe, I did not use my last escape route just so I could hurt you like he did."  
  
"I did not believe that was your intention." Alice replied quietly, looking down.  
  
"Alice," Cyrus's voice was soft as was his touch when he reached out to tip her chin up so her eyes would face his. She involuntarily flinched and he tried to hide the flash of hurt at her reaction. "I am not a monster. I am not him."  
  
Alice blinked back tears. It had been a long time since she'd ever dreamed she could trust anyone, but somehow sitting here with Cyrus she believed that if she could ever trust a single person again, it would be him.  
  
"Why did you use your last, your only means of escape from that realm just to get some mad woman that you don't even know away from a gilded cage?" Alice asked.  
  
Cyrus frowned. "You're not mad, Alice. I made a promise to help you. What kind of man would I be if I just left you to the edge of a roof? If I just left you to be institutionalized for who knows how long?" Cyrus shook his head, feeling anger well up inside of him when he thought about what could've happened to her. "No. There is no way I was going to do that to you."  
  
Alice looked at him stunned. Why did he care so much about her welfare? They were strangers. "You don't know me." She repeated confused. "You certainly can't care what happens to me to that kind of degree."  
  
Cyrus shook his head sharply. "You are wrong, Alice. You have no idea how wrong you are."  
  
Alice's confusion grew. "Why did you use your last bean to help me?"  
  
Cyrus breathed deeply. He couldn't tell her too much. He wanted to tell her the entire truth so badly but he was terrified of scaring her and possibly losing her for good. "I was saving it, Alice. I was saving that magic bean for…I guess you could say for a rainy day."  
  
"That makes sense." Alice replied quietly. "It was certainly my rainy day, but what about yours? What about when you have a rainy day and now you no longer have an escape should you need it?"  
  
Cyrus sighed as he looked into her eyes intensely. "Alice, that was my rainy day. Just knowing how badly you needed help, that was the only rainy day I needed. I don't regret it, not for a moment. I would do it all over again."  
  
Alice looked at him once again stunned, in disbelief. "But Cyrus, you don't know me. Why was I so important? I literally mean nothing to you."  
  
Cyrus was dangerously close to telling her everything. He was so close to just blurting it all out, telling her about her amnesia, what Wonderland did to her, did to them both. But most of all, he was so close to telling her that she was happy once…with him.  
  
Cyrus chose his words carefully. "What if I were to tell you, that I did know you, _do_ know you? What if I were to tell you that our meeting on that roof wasn't the first time we'd ever laid eyes on each other?"  
  
Alice frowned. "Cyrus, I really think I would remember if I already knew you. Besides, how can you claim to know me when I've barely known you for twenty four hours?"  
  
Cyrus pushed the hurt down at her words. He knew this wasn't her fault. Anastasia had really out done herself. She had completely taken away everything Alice was. But he still had faith, faith in her, faith in them that he could still find a way to bring her back to him.  
  
"You're right." Cyrus answered painfully. "I don't know you." He then swallowed the pain and forced hope into his eyes, hope that he desperately needed to hold on to. "But I want to. I want to know you, Alice." He then had an idea. "I want you to know that although we don't know each other, my home..wherever that may happen to be, whether it's here or Neverland, my home is your home."  
  
Alice lightly smiled and than frowned. Why did those words sound so familiar. She looked at his smiling hopeful face and suddenly her head started to pound a flashback took over her.  
  
 _"Turn me in and I get big!" Alice's eyes were filled with fear and distrust._  
  
 _Cyrus just smiled in amusement. "We wouldn't want that, now would we? Good bottles are so hard to find these days." Then he smiled at her warmly. "My name is Cyrus and my home is your home."_  
  
"Alice!" Cyrus had rushed quickly over to her when he'd seen her nearly pass out. He had her in his arms. "Alice, what's the matter?"  
  
The pain in Alice's head faded as did the vision. "Nothing." She quickly shook her head, trying her best to push whatever had just happened down. That couldn't have been real. No. Her mind was playing tricks on her. "I'm alright."  
  
Cyrus didn't believe her though. He could feel that the words he'd said to her had trigged a possible memory in her mind. At least he'd hoped it had. "Alice.."  
  
"Where is here?" Alice blurted, desperate to push whatever it was that she'd just witnessed.  
  
Hallucination…whatever the bloody hell it was, it needed to be gone. There was no doubt in her mind that Cyrus was a good man, but she knew the last thing that was healthy was for her to develop an attachment to him. For her to replace one bad relationship with another. He didn't deserve that and while no matter how hard she tried to deny it she was having feelings for him, she just knew that there was no possible way that he would ever return them.  
  
After a few moments of silence, Cyrus finally answered with the truth. "We're in the Enchanted Forest." Cyrus half smiled, at least he could share one truth with her today.  
  
After all, one truth definitely had to be a step in the right direction.


End file.
